Weazle

MY STORY

Blackie was another feral cat that was trapped
at our River Road station.

For a long time he was terrified of being handled and it was looking like he might never be tameable. Blackie finally turned a corner. He is now just like an ordinary, affectionate cat and
is currently fathering the four kittens from the Avon Loop. Blackie is very accepting and gentle with other cats.

Blackie loves to sit on a knee, and is always first up when  you sit down to watch  TV.

Ideally we would like to place Blackie with his best mate Frankie, one of the Galbraith kittens, because they are more confident together.

MY STORY

Bagheera is a large, athletic cat with an
exotic appearance and a good purr. He is exceptionally cuddly and affectionate, and tolerant of other cats. He is wary of cats who might be aggressive, and retreats to a safe
place if concerned.

Bagheera has been visiting redzonecats feeding stations
in the Dallington red zone since late March 2014 and may have been lost longer than this. After originally assessing Bagheera as a female using infra-red surveillance, we have discovered he is a neutered male. The white mark on his neck allowed him to be distinguished from other black cats, as did his aristocratic face shape and overall large build.

MY STORY

Braego was trapped when the fences went up around houses at our last North Dallington feeding station. He had first appeared in December 2014, but only visited at night. The infra-red images were indistinct, but we could see that he had white socks. During his first day at the shelter, Braego hissed and growled loudly when approached. However, we were sure he was a very frightened tame cat, not a feral cat. We decided to stroke him gently so that he knew he was safe, and although very fearful, he did not bite us. He was too anxious to eat anything on his first day but drank a bowl of cat milk overnight. The next day he began to eat cat biscuits. For a fortnight or so, Braego was too afraid to leave his crate. He was protective of his food bowl, bed and litter tray when we interacted with him. This suggests he had been lost and short of food for a long time, possibly even since the earthquakes.

Braego is now more confident and comes out of his crate for cuddles and to sit by the window. He has a very plush, velvety coat, and his ears are very furry. He finds change frightening and is a cat that will benefit from more than one visit to his new home and owners, before finally remaining at his new home. Braego is likely to do best with quiet people. He is very good with other cats. We think he is probably about five years old, and his teeth and overall health are very good.

MY STORY

Cinders first appeared on our cameras in May 2014. She only visited the feeding stations after dark and  looked black on camera except for light markings on her back legs and a hint of variegation on her body. We realised she was tortoiseshell and therefore female, so wanted to trap her before kitten season.

A few days after being trapped Cinders settled down and proved to be tame and very appealing. Also, the vet determined that she has been speyed. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find her owners from the Found advert. Cinders is a compact little cat and has beautiful colour patterns on her underside.

Cinders is afraid of other cats but very sociable with people. She is a young cat, probably less than 3 years old.

MY STORY

Jasmine is like a little ballet dancer, and always does her arabesques when she wakes up from a nap. She is extremely good with other cats, and exceptionally cuddly and loving with people. As she becomes more confident, she has shown a playful and mischievous aspect.

Jasmine had been visiting redzonecats feeding stations
in the Dallington red zone since late March 2014, and may have been lost longer than this. She only visited to feed
at night, as our surveillance was infra red only. We were unsure of her sex.

Although Jasmine looks small, she is quite long and may continue to mature into a larger cat.

MY STORY

Jasper started life as a feral kitten in the Avonside red zone and was around six-months-old when we first saw him on a trail camera at one of our feeding stations. We continued to watch him and saw that he avoided fights with other cats, so we decided to trap him when he was 18-months-old.

Jasper was quite shy in the beginning but is now super affectionate. In great health, Jasper has a wonderful purr and loves to be stroked and brushed. He is very good friends with Mia and Thorin, and they all take turns to sleep in each other’s beds. At first Jasper did not know how to play properly but the other cats have helped him to learn.

We would like to place Jasper with someone who can give him lots of attention and is living in settled accommodation so he can get established in his new territory.

MY STORY

Macy first appeared on camera in an uninhabited part of the Avonside red zone
in February 2014. A lot of wandering cats were stuck in this part of the Avon Loop, because the only bridge across the Avon River was destroyed in the earthquakes. Feeding stations had to
be moved repeatedly due to demolitions,
and surveillance was used to ensure all of the
cats found the new stations. Macy was easy to recognise by the little white tip on her tail,
and her black nose.

Macy began to show herself to us in the daytime, and then quite suddenly began to vocalise in a worried way. We then prioritised her for trapping and discovered that she had some small but recent face wounds, which suggest she may have been fighting a feisty rat. She also had a damaged tooth. Despite her lonely time in the red zone, Macy was vocal and affectionate as soon as she was brought in. She is a beautiful young cat, whose vet costs have been sponsored by two Christchurch supporters.

MY STORY

Peggy had been visiting feeding stations in the Dallington area since at least early October, 2014.
She became increasingly wary and eventually would not tolerate the presence of a camera at the feeding station, so we could not monitor her. When the last houses in North Dallington were about to be demolished, Peggy was the last cat to be trapped.
We were very relieved to have her safe. Peggy was very shy at first but has become steadily more confident. She had a very sore tooth that has been removed, and a tiny pre-cancerous lesion on her
pink nose has also been removed.

Peggy is a young cat who loves a good chin and cheek scratch and generally being made a fuss of. She is very gentle and quiet. She is still a bit of a night owl, but is adjusting to being awake earlier in the day. Peggy will continue to gain in confidence, provided she is given time to adjust gradually to change. She may need more than one home visit before being finally placed and would probably prefer a quiet home. She was frightened of other cats at first, but has learned to share a room with Susie. She would probably adjust to a multi-cat household, provided the other cats give her some space.

MY STORY

Possum was prioritised for trapping in August because he avoided jumping up to bowls placed on a low table, and appeared to be sitting a little awkwardly. An X-ray showed that he has arthritis between two spinal discs, and he was prescribed an anti-inflammatory. Possum is now much more comfortable, jumps up and down, and is able to enjoy grooming again.

Possum’s vet costs, including dental work, have been sponsored by two supporters. He is at least 12 years old,
and a bit deaf, but his health is good, including his kidneys. Possum needs a warm home with a kind owner who will get pleasure from his company and from seeing his appreciation of a safe and comfortable life away from the red zone. He loves a cuddle and has a great purr. His meow is loud and croaky, but he doesn’t meow much unless he wants you to open a door. Possum likes other cats, but is inclined to wind them up.  He needs a home where he will have plenty of human company and perhaps the right feline company.

MY STORY

Slinky turned himself in to Tim at one of our Avonside feeding stations. We thought at first he had only been lost a few days, but then realised he had passed through one of our Dallington stations in mid December. That surveillance was infra-red only and we had thought that he was black and white, but the markings are exactly the same and dark grey looks the same as black in infra-red. There has been no response to our Found ads, which have been posted since 11 February 2015.  We also have posters at several local vets.

Slinky appears very young. He can be hyperactive at
times, and inclined to chase the other cats, but his social skills are generally good. He is very affectionate with people. If rehomed, Slinky will need to be kept indoors for several weeks until he is fully committed to his new home and family. Otherwise, we think he will be at high risk of wandering, in search of his former home.

MY STORY

Tom was another of the many feral black Toms that that frequent the red zone, and came from the same River Road station as Thistle.

He is a big stocky cat and was fully feral just like Thistle but despite being very frightened initially, he was always very gentle and never scratched or bit.

He now lives with Skaara upstairs at the RedZoneCats home/office and prefers the quiet life.

We are hoping to rehome Tom with Skaara  because they are such good mates and Tom is a shy cat.

Tom enjoys a cuddle and is great friends with Skaara.

MY STORY

Sooty first appeared on our cameras in April 2014, and we thought she was a feral kitten. Many of the feral cats in the red zone are black (see our redzone allblacks video). She never showed herself to us and visited the feeding stations almost exclusively at night.

However, when we trapped her she was immediately affectionate and delighted to be in a home and among people, which suggests that she had some prior association with people. Sooty was not speyed and would have mated and had kittens soon if we had not rescued her.

Sooty is playful and confident with both cats and people and is a very appealing character. She has a very good purr!

MY STORY

Zorro first started visiting a south Dallington feeding station at the end of May 2014. He was only seen on camera at night, and he looked very thin at first, but his condition improved once he had been visiting the feeding station for a few weeks. We tried unsuccessfully to trap him in 2014, but have recently succeeded. He was very shy at first, but has become more confident with people he knows.

Zorro is a good-sized young cat, with a soft and rather fluffy coat. He is intelligent, affectionate and cuddly, and keen to play with other cats – whether they want to or not. Zorro will need time to get used to new people, and may need more than one home visit before being left permanently at his new home.